


Starbase Bound

by Innocentfighter



Category: Star Trek, Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Character Study, Introspection, M/M, Pairing if you Squint, Spoilers, Star Trek Beyond
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-27
Updated: 2016-07-27
Packaged: 2018-07-27 01:31:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 529
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7598215
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Innocentfighter/pseuds/Innocentfighter
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There was some sort of advantage to it that, even despite Spock and Jim’s growing closeness, the Vulcan couldn’t get away with half the things he does. Leonard learns about Jim's application.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Starbase Bound

**Author's Note:**

> Last drabble! Longer works to follow shortly. Hopefully something from Run, but I have something with in progress with the Nexus.

Leonard liked to think that the universe was trying to apologize by all the shit it put them through by having them sit next to each other on that shuttle. They were closer because of that than they would’ve been had they met in normal circumstances.

There was some sort of advantage to it that, even despite Spock and Jim’s growing closeness, the vulcan couldn’t get away with half the things he does.

In the academy this advantage had let him see the kid bent over books and course work, and then see him shrug away the perfect score with a “that was easy.”

Shaking his hand that day got him a front row seat to watch history be made. He laughed, the captain wasn’t the only one who had made history in their career so far.

Sometimes it still awed him that they went from the singular beings of Leonard and Jim to Jim  _ and  _ Leonard (or Bones, but only by Jim).

That’s why he didn’t feel like he was violating Jim’s privacy when he went into his quarters early for their weekly meet up. There were times he used the state of the room to see how his friend was doing mentally, but those times were few and far between. Usually when Jim was hiding something.

Like he was now. The stress was easy to see, Jim’s electric blues were even more vibrant against the dark purple under his eyes. Try as they might, Leonard or the crew couldn’t get a word out of him.

There was a storm on the horizon.

Whatever he expected to find, it was nearing Jim’s birthday and that was hardly ever a happy time so he thought that it might be something like that, a PADD with an application on it was not it.

He mosied over to it, trying to keep a certain distance to make sure that if Jim came in he could play innocent. Sleep mode had been deactivated, meaning that Jim didn’t want to lose his place on it.

From his spot Leo could only make out a few words.

_ Promotion. Vice Admiral. Yorktown. _

Jim Kirk was willingly going to give up the stars? Never did he think that he would live to see the day. He knew that long term space travel had its own psychological stresses (he had an entire PADD dedicated to that research), but he didn’t think that Jim would want to leave it.

He could tell that the application was nearly completed.  _ So, he’s been thinking about this for awhile.  _ For once, he had no idea how to ease into this conversation.

His medical comm beeped, alerting him to an emergency. He left the room, sending a message to Jim telling him that he might be late for dinner. After than he made a mental note to check if there were any medical postings open at Yorktown.

A long time ago he swore to himself that the only man he’d follow into the black was Jim Kirk. He’d follow that man to the edge of the universe and back if he had to.

The stars wouldn’t be the same without their child.

**Author's Note:**

> As always comments and kudos below.


End file.
